U.S.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to Leave Post at End of August; No Successor Named
Trump announced on August 12 that Leavitt is stepping down to spend more time with her two young children and will serve as an outside adviser, and the White House has not named a replacement.
Supreme Court Rules 6-3 That Asylum Seekers Stopped at the Border Have Not 'Arrived' in the U.S., Reversing Ninth Circuit in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado
The June 25, 2026 merits decision held that federal asylum law is triggered only when a person physically crosses the border, clearing the legal path for the 'metering' practice that caps daily asylum processing at ports of entry.
Justice Department Legal Opinion Says Executive Privilege Can Cover Trump's Talks With Private Advisers
An Office of Legal Counsel opinion signed August 10, 2026 by Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser sets a three-part test for shielding presidential communications with advisers outside government, and the department has invoked it against a subpoena for Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn.
Texas Tribune Analysis Finds at Least 60 Children Held 100 Days or More at Dilley ICE Family Detention Center
ICE data reviewed by the Texas Tribune shows average stays of 25 days at the Dilley facility, peaking at a 47-day average in one six-month stretch, as a federal judge weighs appointing a monitor under the Flores settlement.
Injunction Barring NFA Registration for Suppressors and Short-Barreled Firearms Takes Effect for Case Plaintiffs and Their Customers
A federal judge in Texas ruled on August 5 that the National Firearms Act's registration rules for suppressors and short-barreled guns lost their constitutional basis when Congress zeroed the tax behind them; the seven-day stay lapsed August 12, and the order covers the parties in the case rather than the whole country.
Grasshopper Fire Closes 15 Miles of Oregon Highway 35; Contract Dozer Operator Killed on Klamath County Fire
Officials reported 49 large fires burning in Oregon and Washington, Level 3 "Go Now" evacuations in Hood River and Wasco counties, and the death of a dozer operator on the Wrights Spring Fire.
U.S. Navy Helicopter Fires Two Hellfire Missiles at Panama-Flagged Ship in Gulf of Oman, CENTCOM Says
CENTCOM says the M/V Vela Nova was disabled on August 11 after ignoring warnings to turn away from Iranian ports under the U.S. naval blockade reimposed on July 14.
Federal Judge Bars USPS Nationwide From Carrying Out Mail-Ballot Section of Trump Executive Order
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani's August 11 preliminary injunction in League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump extends an earlier 24-jurisdiction order to the whole country, while the Justice Department presses the Supreme Court for a stay.
Alabama Holds Special U.S. House Primaries in Four Redrawn Districts; Marques Wins 2nd District GOP Race With 50%
Voters in Alabama's 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th congressional districts picked nominees on Aug. 11 under a legislature-drawn map that the U.S. Supreme Court allowed for 2026 after lifting a lower court's injunction.
FAA Puts New Ground Radar Into Service at Newark, the Fifth Airport Under a $267 Million Saab Contract
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford unveiled the new Surface Movement Radar at Newark Liberty on August 11, 2026, as the department asked Congress for about $10 billion more for air traffic control upgrades.
DHS Posts Notice for ICE Purchase of Electric-Shock Gloves Worth $10 Million to $20 Million
A Department of Homeland Security planning notice lists a no-bid buy of "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices" for ICE officers, with delivery due by March 31, 2027.
Fifth Circuit Sets Aside 2024 Energy Department Stove and Oven Efficiency Rule, Sends It Back to the Agency
A three-judge panel ruled 3-0 on August 11 that the Department of Energy wrongly used a fast-track "direct final rule" process for standards covering gas and electric cooking appliances, and remanded the rule for a new rulemaking.